Thanks to Dr. Allen Sanborn for identifying the images in this gallery.
Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law. Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay. Photographs on this web-site were taken by Paul Smith, Regis Nossent and Alberto Esquivel and are used with their permission.

CICADIDAE: CICADASOften large, but always distinctive, cicadas are an unmissable presence on summer nights on account of their loud chirping "songs". They have a large, blunt head and usually conspicuous and transparent wings. Many species are cryptically-coloured and sit motionless on tree trunks where they can be difficult to see, but a few species are beautifully ornate in colouration. Eyes are compound and the antennae are short and bristle-like. When at rest the wings are held tent-like over the body. The longitudinal wing veins join before reaching the wing edge so that the margin is long and veinless. The forelegs are often modified and equipped with tooth-like projections. Adults and nymphs are sap feeders. Females use the stout ovipositor to lay eggs in slits sliced into twigs of host plants. Freshly-hatched juveniles fall or crawl to the ground and burrow deep into the earth where they feed on root sap. The front legs of nymphs are modified for digging and they undergo several moults whilst underground - a process that takes several years. Emergence may be synchronised with millions of individuals emerging together, a tactic designed to overwhelm predators that would otherwise kill many more. Empty instar cases are left clinging to the bark of trees after the adult has departed.
Cicada songs are species specific and designed to attract a mate. Both sexes have hearing organs located at the base of the abdomen, but males also have sound producing "tymbal organs" located at the sides of the first abdominal segment. A membrane, protected by a cuticular plate, vibrates rapidly as a result of muscular movements and produces a buzzing sound which resonates in large abdominal air sacs. Cicadas generally produce choruses at twilight, and the effect can be deafening, but some species also "sing" during the day.
Dr Allen Sanborn recently published a review of the Cicadas of Paraguay documenting 22 species as present in the country. Click on the link below to download the complete publication.